A New Beginning
by Emonga
Summary: Because of their daughter, they're bought together again. Negaishipping/ AU
1. Chapter 1

Every kid has that one reason to not like one thing about their life. Sometimes it's a silly reason, like having to wash the dishes. There are times when you just wish you had different parents. You believe you have a very miserable life and need to get away from it all. Well, meet Lilia Ketchum. She wished nothing more than to have her parents yelling at her, and even forcing her to do chores. In short, she's your total opposite.

Lilia has never met her parents, at least not that she could remember. She knows nothing about them and has lived her whole life dreaming of just how they will come for her one day. The eight year old had big dreams and goals in life that one day she wishes to reach. There are times when she just wants to give up. Sometimes her mind tells her that she will never, ever meet her parents. She will never get to know them. Or even know how they look like!

It's only her guess to figure out whom she looked more like. Her mom or dad? She had no idea. All she knew was that she had long, jet black hair that went all the way down her back. After a shower, her hair would get all unruly and frizzy. In order to somehow tame it, she would pull it back into a single loose braid. Her bangs would brush over her chocolate brown eyes blended with her toffee-brown skin. For some reason she also got Z-marks on both her cheeks. She might knew who she was or how she looked like, but she didn't know where she got her looks. It made her cry thinking of all the happy families out there, having dinner together, spending time together, and just being a family. Lilia never knew the feeling of someone caring for her. She's never heard anyone say, _I love you_ to her. Her biggest goal was to find her parents, even if she had to do it by herself.

What bugged her the most too was that she didn't know how exactly she got her name. Did her parents name her or did the orphan pick a random name for her? Did the hospital name her? She didn't know anyone with the last name 'Ketchum'. She was so curious about her past. She remembered always being in the orphan house, she never remembered being anywhere else. She didn't know if her parents just abandoned her, or if there were some mistake of her being in this terrible place. No one could answer her questions. No one, but her parents, where they were.

Being in the orphanage for eight whole years did really make you feel unwanted. You always got the impression that nobody really wants you. You get lined up with all the girls and a couple picks one out of all of you, just like that. Almost every day. It's like you're an animal!

You feel like a reject and don't know what to do but cry. In the end it doesn't do anything but dry your eyes out. There was no right cure for feeling unwanted. All you could do was hope and maybe one day you'll find the right family. You know one thing: Your life isn't going anywhere. For as long as you live in the orphanage, you were a nobody.

It was even harder when you only have one friend out of so many girls in the building. And to find out that a family has adopted your only one friend—you feel your whole world just crushing down. There's no one else there for you and no one cares. It doesn't matter what you feel inside to anyone, the workers just want you out of their responsibility. They don't care if you're with some strange people; it's not their problem. Simple as that.

"We didn't even get lunch." Anna, the only friend Lilia has ever made said in tired tone as she rubbed her stomach.

Being an orphan was really hard. Other than wondering about your past, you were pushed around all the time and only fed when they felt like feeding you. It was up to them when and what you go eat; it was never up to you to do anything. Sometimes they don't feed you for a whole day just because they're too lazy to cook. They just didn't care if you suffered or not.

"Maybe we'll get some late snack." Lilia tried to brighten up her friend, though she was equally as upset. "They do that sometimes."

Anna was the one going to a loving family tomorrow, and she'll probably get her own room with everything she needed and she would probably never starve ever again.

It was past eight and none of the kids has eaten lunch or dinner. Dinner was usually served around five, and now that it was eight, it meant no dinner. They were lucky enough to have breakfast. It was nasty and disgusting, but at least they got a little amount of food in their bodies for the day. Starving wasn't fun. Your body keeps on making you barf, even when you had nothing to throw up.

"You need to get out of here, Lilia." Anna said, sitting on the squeaky bed.

"I can't! It's impossible to get out of here!" Lilia shot back.

She was terrified by the thought of being caught. That would get her punished and probably something else too. This wasn't an easy little game, this was her life. One mistake could ruin it, forever too even.

"It's not impossible, we've talked about this before! We'll wake up early, tip-toe downstairs before the sun comes up and look through the files. We'll find it. You'll find the address of where your parents live. Come on Lilia! Don't you want to go meet your mom and dad?" Anna begged. "I- I can't just leave you here in this prison."

"What about you? What if we get caught?" Lilia asked, trying to keep her cool but her bottom lip was trembling.

"My soon-to-be parents will be here tomorrow afternoon! You have to be out of here before they get here. Lilia, you're my best friend, I'll feel horrible if I was to leave you behind. I want you to be safe too." Anna pleaded.

Lilia let out a sigh and stared at her best friend with a guilty look. It was hard to say no now. Her best friend, probably the only person in the whole world who at least gave a care about her was trying to help her find her whole life story. Her best friend just wanted her to be free and out of this torture place. The decision was hard, but Anna's idea seemed to be the best. As much as Lilia disliked the thought of getting in trouble, it actually sounded pretty adventurous in her ears. That somewhat gave her a kick.

Glancing at her friend's face expression, Anna smiled widely. "Great! Tomorrow, I'll wake you up if you don't get up before me. Be sure to be up before anyone else. We have to, alright?" Anna exclaimed keeping her voice down so the other girls couldn't hear them.

The bedroom lights suddenly went off. That only meant one thing: bed time. It was still very early to be going to bed, it wasn't like they got another choice. Once the lights were off, they had to be in bed. No questions asked. They were all sent to bed today, with empty stomachs.

"GOOD NIGHT, GIRLS!" Mrs. Jeffrey, the head leader of the orphanage, shouted.

The whole room went pitch black and dead silent. No one spoke after the lights went off. It was the number one rule. If you were heard talking or whispering or even sleep talking, you were in trouble. And being punished by Mrs. Jeffrey is something no one would wish upon each other.

* * *

**So I decided to write another story with the help of my sister. This chapter was just for you to get to know Lilia and get some background information. This will be a Negaishipping story, but this time Ash and Iris doesn't really get along. That's all I can say for now! Anyway I hope you like it. Until next time**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the nice feedback, guys! Here's the next chapter**

* * *

Ash Ketchum was an ordinary young man living the simple life. For being twenty six, he still was very active. Football **(A/N: When I say football I mean soccer, alright?) **was his main reason to be living. He loved that sport more than anything and was Pallet Town Elementary head football coach. He lived in a simple house, all alone. His life was basic, and like most people his age, he had no idea where his life was taking him. He never had anything new going on anymore. No surprises, no news, and no idea what's ahead of him. Nothing. Most of his free time was dedicated to playing football with his long time friend (and former rival) Gary Oak and his son, Marcus. And that's exactly what he was doing this very moment.

"Hands!" Gary shouted to his five year old son. "You're supposed to _kick_ the ball, not pick it up! That's why it's called _foot_ball."

The little red-haired boy studied the football in his arms in excitement. His sea-green eyes shined as he threw the ball up and grabbed it as the ball fell back towards him, all the time ignoring Gary.

"Don't be so harsh on him, Gary. I'm your son's coach, so leave the coaching to me." Ash stated, grabbing the ball from the young boy's grasp and placed in on the ground in front of the boy.

"Yeah, yeah man. It's almost dinner. I have to go pick up the twins from daycare before Misty finds out that I dropped them off at daycare when I'm supposed to be spending time with them," Gary said walking over Marcus and placed a supporting hand on his shoulder.

"Ah, still afraid of Misty's wrath I see," Ash chuckled.

"If you dropped off your daughters at a daycare on a Saturday when your wife had specifically told you to spend _some_ time with them, you'd want to rush home too," Gary laughed dragging his son to his car. "Come on, Marcus."

"You shouldn't have taken your daughters to daycare in the first place!" Ash retorted.

"But then they'll complain about how this is boring and they're going to want me to do stuff with them, that aren't stuff I do, like dress ups! I bet they spent too much time with their aunts," Gary replied, cringing at the memories. "And they just turned three. God knows how they'll be like when they're teenagers."

"Gary, I'm sure pink is your color, " Ash smirked.

"Shut up, man! My daughters are crazy okay? They can read each other's minds and they can talk, without speaking!" Gary said in amazement.

"Marcus, do you ever just get an idea that your dad is the little kid in the family?" Ash chuckled at the little boy.

Marcus glanced shortly at his dad before turning back to raven haired man, nodding in agreement. "Yes he's a huge sissy!"

"I'm your dad, you know I can do things to you. Like ground you," Gary crossed his arms.

"But Uncle Ash is right! You're always afraid of mommy-"

Gary quickly put a hand against Marcus' mouth before he could embarrass him even further. Glaring at his laughing friend, he opened his car door and helped his red-haired son inside.

Ash just shook his head. Gary could be so silly at times. He got away with so many things it was crazy. He didn't want to call it a day, but he didn't have that option. He wished sometimes Gary would be just like him, free to be out and about without having to worry about kids. Actually it was a huge surprise that the former heartthrob had decided to settle down and marry their childhood-friend, Misty. The three of them went through elementary and high school together, and when Gary and Misty started dating Ash thought their relationship would end just like Gary's previous relationships had. Or as Gary used to say; Politely dump them. But much to all their surprise, Gary went down and proposed to her.

But then again Ash sometimes wished he had Gary's busy life schedule, always had something to do. Plus he always had company, unlike Ash who was stuck inside the house pretty much most of the time doing nothing but training his football skills.

"Come by later this weekend. We can work on that move Marcus," Ash offered.

"Okay, coach!" Marcus waved at him with a wide smile plastered on his face.

Gary laughed at Ash for wanting everything to be perfect. He always wanted to get the moves right and everything going the right way.

"Now, off you go," Ash declared, patting his car top.

"Oh I am, boy I am." Gary smirked as he pulled back.

"Catch you another time," Ash said, hitting his car as he drove off.

Ash turned to face his house and picked up the footballs on his driveway. He decided to train a little before going inside the house and doing nothing. There was still a little light out and he felt like taking advantage of it while he could. This was his way of relaxing and getting everything out of him—it was more like cure for him with all his stress during the day from, well, doing nothing. Today was just another weekend gone. He had a whole week ahead of him with nothing to do but coach after school on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. That was it.

* * *

Iris Dragen. A twenty six year old successful gym teacher of all times. You could say her life as perfect as possible, if that is even possible. She had everything you could ever want. Her four-story mansion said it all. The life she lived was everyone's dream life. Jealousy was always shot against her, with her life being oh-so luxurious and simple. Nothing got in her way. Her past never darkened her, nor did she wish for it. Her whole dramatic life back in elementary and high school really did pay off, all thanks to her adoptive dad Drayden. He was the owner of Opelucid Academy, and even if Iris never went to College she still got to work as a gym teacher at the Academy. And besides, she had inherited almost all of her money from him.

So basically, she had all she needed. Her long, royal purple hair glowing in their locks while her clear chocolate brown eyes twinkled with every piece. For a couple of years ago, she never even would've _dreamt_ of a life like this.

"Iris! You can't just take a one week vacation and expect everything to be in tip-top shape!" Her old friend and neighbor Cilan exclaimed walking after her.

"Look, Cilan. I'm a grown adult. I appreciate that you're looking after me, but don't need your supervision. I'm not one of your kids. I want some time to have some fun. Now let me." Iris said, slamming her car trunk.

Cilan sighed. "Yes, you may not be my child but you still need to grow up!" He slightly raised his voice at her, walking around her car to her side. "As you always say, you're acting like a little kid."

"Oh, just watch the place and I'll be back before you know it." She winked, climbing into her car.

"What am I supposed to do? Stay here for a whole week to make sure your gym class is on its schedule?" Cilan asked holding his arms out.

"Uh," Iris bit her lip and started her car. "I just have to fix something. I'll be back before work, promise! I can take some responsibility too you know."

Cilan shook his head. "I can't! I have a life. A real life. Where I have to take care of REAL responsibilities, liking putting food on the table for my kids and watching over my wife! Why can't you just relax that way? Get married. Settle down. Have kids." he blurted out.

Iris rolled her eyes at him and fastened her seatbelt tighter. "I'm twenty six. Many people my age are still in college, living their life before settling down. Sure I want to have kids someday, but I'm not ready for that now."

"Maybe you can start looking for a boyfriend," Cilan suggested slamming his hands on her car.

"I did. It didn't work out," She told him, putting her car in reverse. "Now, please excuse me. I really need to fix this and I'll be back as soon as I can. Thank you in advance!" She smiled before stepping on the gas pedal and storming off.

That was one of her problems with her good old friend. He married a perfectionist, he turned out to be a complete perfectionist. They were so different now, back then they were very different too, the city boy and the wild girl, but even so they got along great. Now they were living two different lives. Like two complete strangers who just happen to be friends, somehow.

"I hope he's not too mad at me," she sighed before concentrating on the road again.


	3. Chapter 3

"Did you find it?" Anna whispered in the dark, clutching a flashlight tightly in her small hand.

"I think so," Lilia flipped through some papers and quickly read through them. "Got it! Lilia Ketchum," she said in a high whisper as a relieved smile curled up on her lips.

The raven haired girl took the file folder and opened it. She could barely wait to find out what information there was so she could dig through the papers inside! She found the address to a house. It didn't have any pictures in it, just at least twelve pages of papers and that was pretty much it.

"Ash Ketchum and Iris Dragen?" Lilia narrowed her eyes.

She would never guess that those would be her parent's names. She never even thought of her parents having names, aside from mom and dad. Now that she knew their names, she began to feel like this was the right to do and that she was on the right path. She was already a step closer to finding out her true life.

"Get your bag!" Anna pointed to the old, blue backpack that Lilia had let on the table while trying to dig through the file cabinet.

Lilia nodded and swung the bag over her shoulder. It was still dark and the only light they had was a small, little, almost dead flashlight. She read the paper over and over again to make sure she was going to the right place. There was no way she was going to be able to find the place quickly. She's never been out in the real world and knew nothing about the towns. Kanto was pretty big and she didn't know where Pallet Town was located.

"I don't know how to get there," Lilia admitted, trying to keep her voice low.

"Take the bus. It goes all the way to Pallet. I think you're getting off at the last spot. Then, I don't know—just ask around. Ask someone to help you find the street. It sounds easy. Go on to Main Street. How hard can that be?" Anna said with a slight smirk on her face.

Lilia had no idea how her friend expected her to do that, or how her friend even knew that. The idea was simply hard and complicated, she couldn't do it alone. It be so scary to be out in the world for the first time, all alone; no for the first time ever! This was the real world, a world that Lilia had never imagined of entering. As hard as she pictured it, she had to try. She was never going to reach her goal unless she tried. Every step she took further towards the outside was another step closer to finding her parents.

"Now hurry!" Anna dragged her out of the little office.

The two of them slowly opened the window that lead down to the small garden. Lilia shot Anna a worried look. Just feeling the fresh air against her face was already making her feel guilty for running away. But even so, it wouldn't be worth backing out now. She had everything prepared and she was really ready to walk through the mossy garden and catch the next bus. All she had to do was to sneak out and next thing; she would be with her parents, for the first time ever.

"Go on," Anna held Lilia's hand as she stepped on the windowsill and jumped outside. She was now standing fully outside now. Her long braid swayed as the cold dawn breeze blew by. Anna had half her body out of the window, she was also very cold. It was mid November anyways, and judging by the cloudy weather it would possibly rain soon.

"Bye, and good luck!" Anna hugged her very tightly. "I hope you'll find your parents soon."

"Bye," Lilia hugged her back. "And don't worry, I will."

"Go, the bus will be here soon!" Anna spoke, letting her go quickly.

Lilia rushed through the garden and looked back up to her friend who already had the window shut. It scared her to know that she would most likely never see Anna ever again. Jumping over the hedge, she got on the bus filled with scary people standing and giving her strange stares.

"Pallet Town," she said dropping some pennies that Anna had given her the day before.

She walked all the way to the back of the bus where there were a few empty seats. It would be three long hours before she arrived to her final destination. Her journey was sure to be filled with lot of interesting surprises. She didn't know what to expect, better yet, who to expect.

After being in the bus for so long, Lilia fell asleep. Next thing she knew, she as awaken by a heavy movement the bus had done. It came to a fast stop and she looked around to find most seats that once had been filled with people empty. It was bright morning now and she read the sign, welcoming her to the cozy town.

She stood up and walked out of the bus, relieved that she had an early start. It might take her a while to get to the house, or the street she was looking for. Even if there wasn't so many people walking around in the small streets, she had never seen so many people all at once. The sidewalks were full and she didn't know whom to ask. The first woman to walk near her was the one she thought of asking for help.

"Excuse me," Lilia said to a middle aged woman with brown hair pulled back in a looped pony tail, whom she didn't take the time to guess was her relative.

"Yes?" The woman turned around and gave her a kind smile.

"Do you know where this street is located?" Lilia asked as she showed her the paper which contained the street name. What the young girl didn't know was that Pallet Town was so small that they didn't have house numbers. That's why the woman didn't bat an eye when she read the street name.

"Of course I know," she continued to smile. "You're in the main street. The street you're looking for is three blocks that way," the brunette pointed to her right

"Thank you." Lilia couldn't think of what else to say. She wasn't exactly ready to have a full on conversation with some woman she didn't even know, even if she looked kind.

"Are you lost?" the woman asked in a curious tone. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen you around here before."

Lilia shook her head. She didn't want to tell this woman what she was up to either. She might report her as a run-away child from an orphanage trying to find her parents. "Um you see, I'm actually on a.. vacation here," she blurted out. "And I got lost on my way back."

"Oh, alright. Be careful, you shouldn't be out alone. You should go get your mom next time, okay? She advised. "I live nearby that street, by the way. I could follow you there after I'm finished with my grocery shopping."

"You don't have to," Lilia shook her head again. The last thing she wanted was to be a bother for the kind lady. "I'll be okay."

"If you say so. Don't wander around, sweetheart," the lady said before walking off to her direction. "Bye!"

Lilia waved and walked off to the direction the woman had pointed to. She was so excited to find the street she couldn't stop smiling! She practically skipped the whole way down the block.

"There it is!" She exclaimed with a big skip as she stood in front of the cross street.

Her only fear now was that her parents might have moved and she wouldn't know where to go. That meant the entire things she had gone through was for nothing. It was just a complete waste. Trying to get all the worries out of her mind, she skipped down the street looking. The neighborhood looked very nice, with flowers blooming everywhere. She'd never been anywhere before and this was really a great adventure. She just hoped this wasn't one of her wild dreams!

"I'll try here first," she smiled looking at a light blue simple house.

It looked very nice and neat. The yard was clean and trimmed perfectly. The garden had a football net, which got her worried. Did she have some sibling that her parents kept? Is that why they took her to the orphanage, because they wanted the other child? The questions she kept on coming up with were starting to scare her very much. Her dreams were about to come true any minute now and she was on the verge of running back to where she came from.

Lilia shook her head at how stupid she was being. She didn't even know if her parents lived here, she was just asking for their name when the people that lived here opened the door. Now there was no holding back, she walked to the door and pressed the doorbell button with her index finger. She could hear the doorbell ringing inside.

Shortly after the door swung open and a young raven haired man stood in front of the door with a lost expression. "I already bought girl-scout cookies from the little girl across the street, sorry," the man said getting ready to close the door.

"No, no!" Lilia stopped him with a puzzled look on her face. She wasn't here to sell cookies! "Do you know where Ash Ketchum lives?"

"Ash Ketchum?" The man blinked. "That's... me?"

"Ash Ketchum?" Lilia said as if she were asking a question.

"Yes?" Ash replied, scratching the back of his head.

"It's me! Lilia!" Lilia exclaimed throwing herself onto him for a hug. Could this man not see who she is? Didn't he know her? Did he not recognize her? Is he even Ash?

Ash didn't return the hug. He didn't know who this girl was. He certainty didn't know anyone by the name of Lilia. Though, she did look familiar. Like he has seen her somewhere before...

"It's me, Dad! Lilia," she repeated noticing how confused he looked.

**That's all I have for now. I bet most of you know who the woman Lilia asked for directions was :P**


	4. Chapter 4

"It's me! Lilia!" The raven haired girl spoke again, letting go of the confused man and stepped back. She opened her bag and roamed through it to find the papers she was looking for. A relieved smile appeared on the girl's face as she pulled out the papers and handed them over to him.

Ash grabbed it and read through them carefully. He exchanged reading the papers and looking at the girl, all the time being quiet. He wasn't sure how to react. Should he be angry? Happy? Confused? But in fact he didn't really feel anything like that. He was simply... shocked. It's been a long time since he's talked to Iris and the last time he checked he wasn't a dad! He wasn't even sure if he could handle the responsibility of raising a child, and especially a girl.

Ash thought about how crazy people could be. Someone must have given the girl money to do this. Or someone just thought it would be fun to mess around with other people since they had nothing better to do. Maybe it was Brock who was behind this? He had sided with his mom when she was lecturing him about settling down and getting married and stuff. But then again, Brock wasn't the type to pull of pranks like that.

He looked down on the small girl giving him a questioning look, her head slightly tilted to the side. The wind kept bowling her long braid while she tried to keep her bang away from her eyes. Even if this all seemed unbelievable, he knew better than to slam the door shut and send her off in the cold November weather. Ash reached towards the front door and pulled it open. The girl's face jerked up, holding on to her bag.

"I- I think we have a lot to talk about," Ash told her softly, giving her a shaky smile. "Why don't you come in? I bet you're freezing in that light hoodie and shorts."

Lilia wandered her eyes hopefully around him. She dreamt of her dad being sweet to her, calling her his little princess, daddy's little girl, everything. She also dreamt of her mom being so kind and loved her so much. Right at this moment, she had a slight hope this might come true. He hadn't yelled at her, but he didn't break out in happiness either.

She didn't know what to say to him. All she could do was stare at him and try to take in his image so she would never forget him, just in case if he was about to throw her back at the orphanage. He looked like a very sweet man, who would be a great dad, but then again looks aren't everything.

"Are you coming inside?" Ash repeated a little louder to make sure she heard him, since the first time she never answered. He opened the door wider.

"O-okay," she shyly said, walking inside the house as Ash closed the door behind her. He lead the way towards the living room, which was more cozy than Lilia first thought. The couch was cream colored with a wooden coffee table placed in front of it, a large flat-screen TV, two large windows with white curtains was letting in the slight sunshine rays and everywhere there was small sculptures or decorations making the room livelier. She already loved the house.

"You like it?" Ash asked in a friendly tone.

Lilia nodded. "It's pretty."

"Ha, I can't really take credit for all this. My mother usually barge in every now and then to make sure the house looks decent. If it was all up to me, this house would only consist of a bed, fridge and a large TV of course," he laughed. He somewhat felt relieved when the girl let out a giggle too. "Before we start, what do you want to drink?"

"Huh, drink?" She asked with a frown. "Water?"

"Water?" Ash raised his eyebrows. "Oh and here I thought kids nowadays never drank water unless there wasn't any sugary drinks left. I'll be back in a moment."

Lilia looked at him as he disappeared into another room, probably to get water. She didn't quite get what he meant by kids not drinking water nowadays. Was there other stuff to drink than water? Confused, she walked towards the cream colored couch and flopped down on it. She let out a terrified yelp as she sunk down on the couch, flailing her small legs in the air. She had never though the outside world could be this confusing. It was true she loved adventure, but this was way too much! And why in Mew's name would a 'chair' eat you anyway?

"I see you're fond of the new couch already," Ash commented as he let down the tray with water on the coffee table. "You need a little help?" He added with a sweatdrop as he saw Lilia struggling with sitting up.

"Your chair is eating me!" She cried. "Help!"

The raven haired man walked over and offered his hand over to the girl, which Lilia gratefully accepted. She sat up by the end of the couch and let her legs dangle down. There was no way she was leaning back on the couch again now.

Ash gave a small laugh as he watched her frowning face expression. He put the glass consisting of water in front of her and sat down on the opposite couch. "So, who are you?" He asked.

"Lilia," she answered trying not to sound so nervous. "Lilia Ketchum."

"And where did you come from?" Ash questioned.

"Viridian City Orphan House." She answered truthfully.

Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He really needed a word with Iris, which would be pretty hard because she refused to talk to him and he couldn't care less about talking to her either, except for now. The last time he spoke to her was almost nine years ago and they weren't in such good connections back then. More specifically, they were doing great together until they reached their high school graduation. Shaking his head as to get rid of the memories he looked at the floor with a thoughtful expression. He might not have her phone number, but he could find her address pretty easily. That was good enough to reach her.

"Um daddy, where's mom?" She asked, looking at the door as if her mother would appear any moment.

"Somewhere a couple of hours away," he replied. "In Unova, I suppose..."

"Why is that?" Lilia asked in a disappointed tone.

"Living her own life... I don't know. And I don't care," he added, looking down all the time.

Lilia felt sad. Her parents weren't together. Now she really felt like her dreams weren't going to come true at all. She didn't understand why her dad didn't know she existed either. Everything was getting more complicated.

"She never told you about me?" She asked.

Ash hesitated for a moment. He did know, sort of. Iris had in fact told him at some time, he just didn't listen and he forgot about it. It was in the middle of the final exams in High School right before graduation. With their minds filled with graduation speeches, exams, stress, future plans and college he and Iris had gotten into an huge argument. Ash already had planned out travelling across the different regions to discover the world. That had been his dream since he was little, and he had no plans of not making them come true.

Iris, being his girlfriend since the end of their freshmen year, had always been supportive of his decisions regardless if they were childish or not. She was usually all happy, carefree and energetic, but during their last semester of senior year she had been blunt and tired. Ash thought it was because of the pressure they all were under.

When he told her he was leaving right after graduation, she got uneasy and eventually that led into an huge argument. Even Misty and Gary tried to break down the argument, but none of them had succeed. The couple threw hurtful words back and forth to each other, words that Ash regretted saying right after they left his mouth. The argument ended by Iris calling him heartless for leaving her when she needed him the most. Ash didn't quite get what she meant, but when he asked she just called him stupid. And by the end, she finally admitted she was pregnant.

She never called him after they graduated. At some time he wasn't sure if he was imagining Iris saying she was pregnant or not. He hated remembering that one argument which ruined everything between them.

"Not really," he lied, jerking his gaze up from the floor to the coffee table.

Lilia nodded. She was so happy to be in the same room as her dad. This was part of her dream anyways, she just expected him to like her back. It was also because this meant he had to deal with Iris again.

Those eight years without seeing or hearing from his royal purple haired ex had been pretty decent. He didn't have to worry about any major stuff. Now he had no choice but to show up at her doorstep and demand for an explanation. A _long_ one too. Ash wanted to know a lot of things, like why in the world would she put a child in for adoption? And why didn't she call him? Sure they often argued in their high school years, but they always found a way to apologize and laugh about how stupid they had been in the end.

"How does she look?" Lilia finally spoke up. Maybe there were a few pictures of her hanging around, but as she could see there were none. The pictures on the wall mostly were of himself, a bunch of people who looked like they were his age (possibly his friends) and himself as a child with a familiar, auburn colored haired woman... The raven haired girl narrowed her eyes at the woman and tried to remember where she saw her last time as Ash's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"I don't know, haven't seen her in a while." Ash answered, giving her a half smile. "But you definitely look a lot like her. When you stood outside my door I almost mistaken you as Iris as a child!"

"Really?" Lilia's eyes lit up as a grin appeared on her face.

"Yeah, just imagine yourself older with long royal purple hair and a slightly darker skin complexion, and there you have your mother," he winked at her. Even if talking about Iris didn't give him much interest, he thought telling a little about her wouldn't do any harm. Besides, he didn't blame the girl being curious and all. He would probably do the same if he was her.

"By the way, how did you find me? No better yet, how did you get out of the orphan house?" He questioned.

The smile disappeared from Lilia's face and her eyes widened . She didn't want to just tell him she ran away. There was no other reason though and she couldn't lie to him. She knew better than to lie to anyone! "I kind of.. uh, sneaked out this morning," she answered biting her lip.

Ash nodded. Just as he suspected. He had a run-away child in his house. He could get in major trouble, but then again he wouldn't since she actually was his child. "You're going to get in trouble," he told her honestly.

"Are you going to turn me in?" Lilia asked worried.

"No, not until I get a word out of Iris about you," Ash answered as he stood up.

Lilia let out a breath of relief as she jumped off the couch too.

"I'm going to go search through the some files to find your mother's address. Go upstairs and settle down in the guest bedroom in the meantime. After that, feel free to wander around the house until I'm finished," Ash told her kindly as he gestured to the stairs.

Lilia did as what she was told and ran up the carpeted stairs. There were many doors, and she didn't know which one was the guest bedroom. All the doors were open but one, which she guessed, could be the guest room.

Downstairs, the front door was flung open and a cheery voice called happily "I'm baaack! How's everything going, sweetheart?"

Lilia knew it was wrong to eavesdrop to private conversations, but being the curious child she was she couldn't help but tip-toe to the top stairs and peek at the front door. There was the same middle aged woman from the pictures! Lilia blinked as the woman hummed a happy tune and grabbed the grocery bags she had set down to skip off her shoes.

Ash appeared in the hall with a slight frown on his face. "Mom, I appreciate that you're looking after me and stuff, but I'm _twenty six._ I can go grocery shopping by myself!"

"Oh, I know," the woman waved him off. "But the house is so silent and empty and I can't help but miss my little boy! I hope you don't mind if I stay here a little longer?"

Usually, Ash would be happy to hear this from his mother. That usually meant that he had someone to talk to as well as he could eat his mother's delicious cooking! But now when he had a small girl which actually was his daughter visiting, he couldn't help but panic. What if she came downstairs? How would his mother react to the news?

"You okay," she asked with a frown, walking over to place her palm over his forehead. "You look pale, are you feeling well?"

"I-I uh.." Ash hesitated. "I'm fine, really, but I'm very busy right now. Maybe you should come back later?"

"Nonsense," she replied firmly. "If I wait any longer it's going to get dark outside. I'll start on the dinner," she decided, walking past him.

Then realization hit Lilia. That woman was the same woman who told her where Ash lived! Gasping at this, she quickly put a hand over her mouth as to take back the gasp.

But it was too late.

The woman looked up at the stairs where Lilia was sitting, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "Ash... Who's this girl?"

**Took me a while to type this.. Sorry ^^' Hope you liked it!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Can you explain to me why there's a child with you?" The woman went on in a curious tone as she looked from Ash to the little girl.

Ash mentally cursed at himself. What the hell were you supposed to answer in a situation like this? You're home alone, relaxing before work next day and then BAM! A little child knocks on your door claiming that you're their parent - with a stack of papers as proof. The raven haired man opened and closed his mouth, struggling of choosing his words.

When he gave no answer, the woman dropped her grocery bags on the floor and took a step towards the stairs. By pure reflex Lilia's heart skipped a heartbeat as she moved further away from the lady. The tensed situation scared her. It reminded her of when one of the girls from the orphanage did something wrong and the workers were trying to find out who did it. When no one admitted their fault, they lined up all the girls and send them off running a couple of rounds around the building. That was their way of punishing them all.

But this time, the lady didn't really look mean. A kind, almost apologetic look was plastered on her face as she reached out a hand towards the girl. "Come here. I promise I won't hurt you."

Lilia shot a scared look at Ash, which in return gestured her nonchalantly to come downstairs. Deciding that her dad wouldn't do her anything wrong, she let go of the baluster and took a step down the stairs. And then another.

She didn't stop until she were fully standing in front of the lady.

"Aw, poor child. She looks scared to death! Ash, what did you do to her?" She shot him an annoyed glare.

"I didn't do anything! I swear!" Ash's face reddened as he held up his hands in a defensive manner.

The lady scoffed and bent down to the girl's level. She didn't say anything as she carefully inspected Lilia's face, bringing a hand to stroke her Z marked cheeks. "Aren't you the girl I met earlier today?" She asked in a soft voice.

Lilia nodded, holding in her breath. She just hoped the lady wouldn't send her back to the orphanage! Then her whole plan of escaping would come to a waste.

"You really aren't here on a vacation, are you?" She went on, a kind smile forming on her face.

Lilia sighed in defeat. "No.." She admitted as she fixed her gaze on the floor.

"What's your name?"

The girl looked at Ash which in return mouthed her something along the line _'don't tell_.' Looking back at the woman she replied "Lilia."

Suddenly the lady started tearing up, a huge smile forming on her face. "Hello, Lilia. I'm Delia Ketchum, your grandmother."

"Huh? I have a grandmother?" Lilia's eyes widened in surprise and happiness. She have been so concerned about finding her parents that she didn't have any time thinking about her other relatives. The thought about having a grandma was just a big bonus! In the stories she read back at the orphanage, grandmas and grandpas were just as loving as parents were. If not more.

The woman pulled the girl close for a warm embrace as more tears escaped her eyes. "She's beautiful," Delia said in a muffled voice and pulled back. However her arms were still around the little girl. "Ash, why didn't you tell anything about her? How in heavens name could you keep this a secret for all those years!? I can't believe I'm a _grandma_! This is too good to be true!"

"I.. uh.. I just found out myself," Ash said breathlessly, his mouth hanging open. He knew that his mother could read him like an open book, but her figuring out she was Lilia's grandmother was just a huge surprise! "H-how did.. you find.. out?"

"Oh easy," she stood up with Lilia still in her arms. Wiping the last tear away with her sleeve she went on. "I could recognize those eyes and Z marked cheeks anywhere. And not many children I know would set off on a journey across the regions on their own," she shot Ash a knowing look. "Someone as adventurous as this adorable little kid just have to be yours, Ash. In fact I met her on my way to the grocery store earlier, all eager to know where you lived just so she could find you. Am I right?" She winked at the girl in her arms.

"Yes!" Lilia's mouth curled up in a huge smile. She absolutely adored her grandmother already. While Ash seemed like he needed time for the news to sink in, Delia had embraced her by the second she saw her. Lilia has never felt so happy that she was right now!

"Uh, Ash, you okay?" Delia asked in a slightly worried voice as Ash's face turned even more pale.

"Uh, of'course I'm fine.." He mumbled as he started to sway a little. Before any of them could speak up, he lost his balance and passed out right on the floor.

* * *

"Ugh, where 'm I?" Ash opened his eyes slightly only to hear muffled voices around him. With his blurred eyesight he could she two figures gathered around his dinner table happily chatting away. He made an attempt to sit up, only to be hit by a wave of dizziness which forced him to lay back on the couch. Letting out a groan to fight against the slight pain in his forehead he clasped a hand on top of the Ice pack that were placed there.

"Daddy! You're awake," a young girl's voice spoke up happily.

Fixing his gaze on the blurry figure, he tried to remember what happened earlier. The girl looked so familiar... Like someone he once knew from his early teenage days.

"Will he be okay?" She spoke again, this time to the other figure. Her long, dark colored hair were loose, flowing elegantly down her back.

_Like _her_ hair used to. The strawberry like scent from the shampoo she used which hit him every time she broke out into runs. Her lovely chocolate colored eyes. Her infectious laughter._

"Iris," he spoke softly, saying the first thing that came into his mind.

"Iris?" The tall figure repeated. "Ash sweetheart, are you okay?"

The raven haired man blinked as he slightly started to drift away from his dizzy state.

_The horrible things they yelled at each other. The sight of her tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. The way she violently shoved him away as he tried to embrace her. The disapproving glares from Misty and Gary as he told them about the argument._

"Shit," Ash muttered as he shoved his blanket aside. Sitting by the edge of the couch, he buried his face in his hands as he waited for his heartbeat to normalize again. _Don't think about it, forget about everything that happened..._

"Lilia, it's getting late. I'm going to follow you upstairs to your bed, alright? Me and your daddy have to discuss a couple of things." The tall figure said kindly to the little girl.

"Okay!" She agreed happily, placing the cup she was holding down on the table. Jumping off the chair, she ran up to the brunette figure and grabbed her hand.

He reluctantly watched as the dark haired girl moved further away from him.

_I'll never make the same mistake again_

"Iris! No, please come back!" He gasped, fighting the dizziness as he jumped off the couch.

The two figures stopped to look back at him. He made his way forwards and collapsed in front of the dark haired girl. Gently placing his hands on her shoulder, he found himself gazing into her eyes with a pleading look on his face. Well, even though he really couldn't see her eyes, just her blurred face.

"I- I'm sorry. Please don't leave," he shakily muttered, wrapping his strong arms around the girl.

"But daddy, I'm not mad at you," the girl admitted in a confused manner, looking up at Delia which had a worried look on her face. "Grandma, what's he doing?"

"I don't know, honey," she admitted. "He must have hit his head really badly earlier... I think he's still in some dream state..."

The rest of her words went right over his head. He had found her, and he wasn't going to leave her again.

_Because now you're right here where you belong._

* * *

**Haha, I guess this is the weirdest chapter I have written so far (¬_¬) Iris will in fact appear in the next chapter, but I can't say Ash will be all delighted to see her again. Anyway I hope whoever is reading this story liked this chapter, and special shoutout to Mindlees Fangirl 001 and Toadettegirl2012 for keeping the reviews coming! You guys are amazing :D**


	6. Chapter 6

_"Drive 50 meters further and then turn left,_" the high pitched voice of the GPS device annouced.

Ash gritted his teeth in utter annoyance as he tried not to grab the GPS and flung it out of the window. Usually out of old habit, he loved to mock the voice and laugh about it afterwards. Now the high pitched voice was just annoying him.

It was the very next morning, and he and Lilia were in the car on their way to where Iris was located. All Ash could do was groan and huff at the moments he was making. He couldn't believe that he was actually going to do this.

"I mean so many years without her and then a child shows up at my doorstep and now I have to go face her? Geez," he spat looking at his rear view mirror to look at Lilia.

She was sleeping, with blankets all around her body and different snacks lying next to her. Ash didn't want to keep on stopping so he just bought lots of food and juice cartoons for her to keep herself full. He liked how she was asleep. He didn't want to bore her because of the long distance to Unova. Her long jet black locks were pulled back in a nice braid by Delia, and she even managed to cut her bangs so that they didn't interfere with her eyesight anymore. The worn out clothes she wore yesterday were now replaced by Ash's old T-shirt and denim shorts he used to wear as a child. Delia had insisted of buying new clothes to her, but once she went out to shop she wouldn't be done until at least a couple of hours had passed. And they didn't really have any time but to get in the car and set off for Unova if they wanted to reach their destination before nighttime.

Yesterday seemed like an old dream. He merely remembered passing out and waking up on the couch later the same night. After Lilia had gone to bed, he and Delia had a long talk about what happened between Iris and him and also about what they were going to do about the current situation. Delia had admitted that she loved having Iris around in their teenage years, and that she was like the daughter she never had. Their breakup had been a shock to her just like it had been to Ash too. Only that he didn't admit that.

Further on Delia started scolding him because how careless he had been and that she refused to sit back and watch a poor child suffer because of their childish actions. Ash knew how right she was, despite he didn't want to see Iris again. That's why she had sent off him and Lilia to Unova for fix the issue between him and Iris. Delia had finished their talk with a knowing smirk and a small mumble of that she thought everything would fall back into the right pieces again. But that's Delia being Delia, always seeing the positive side of pretty much everything.

Ash's eyes darted away from Lilia's peaceful sleeping expression and back on the road again. He gave a small gasp as he slammed his foot on the brakes. "Move out of the way!" He growled at a passing car, causing Lilia to jump up and smack her head against the car window.

"Ouch," she rubbed her head looking out of the window.

"I'm sorry, are you hurt?" Ash knew she was awake and felt glad that they were almost at the location. In any second, Lilia was bound to ask if they were there yet, or how long until they get there.

"Don't worry I'm fine," she replied in a sleepy voice. "Are we there yet?"

"Yes, just give it a couple of minutes," he smiled at her reflection in the rear window. Even though she reminded him a lot about Iris, he couldn't bring himself to let out his annoyance at Lilia.

"Good!" Lilia exclaimed looking for her bag of chips.

She began to eat for a little while. Her guilty pleasure for now was eating all the junk food she could possibly set her hands on. There were so many to choose from and she loved them all! As much as Ash knew how unhealthy all the treats he was giving her, he figured it wouldn't harm anything. The girl hadn't had much of taste to all the stuff in the real world. She's been lock up with limited food. Delia had told him she had gasped at seeing the different kinds of food there was in the fridge. She hadn't even tasted a simple sandwich before, and that said something.

"What did they feed you in that place?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Uh, I don't know," she put another chips in her mouth. "But not anything like this."

Ash nodded. "Look, we're almost there. I don't know what to expect since she's not expecting us either, which is because I couldn't reach her through the phone. I only got her new address. That's why I have no idea how she's going to react so please don't question me about it, alright?" He spoke in a serious tone.

"Okay," Lilia replied with a short nod. It was like he heard her mind. She was just about to ask him what to do when she saw her, but Ash got to explain that part before she could even open her mouth! Looking out of the window another thing caught her attention. "Daddy! What's that?" Lilia jumped at the sight of a large building.

"That's a building," Ash replied with a chuckle. Her questions about the simplest things he never gave a thought kept surprising him.

"Looks like a gigantic book if you ask me," she continued with fascination evident in her voice.

Ash went straight back to his driving and didn't say a single word as they were very close to their destination. Once he was into something, he got really concentrated. He looked at his paper, which revealed the direction to Iris' neighborhood and then looked back at the street signs. He had turned off the GPS a while ago because the voice was driving him insane

"She just has to live all the way over here!" Ash sighed making a sharp turn into a wealthy looking neighborhood. But then again it didn't really surprise him. She could live high up in a three if she wanted to.

"These are some big houses!" Lilia exclaimed looking out of her window, her snacks soon forgotten.

There were kids playing basketball on the street, biking and simply just running around. Lilia couldn't wait to do that. She wanted to meet many new friends and go to a real school. She had so many hopes in her life which could come true in any moment now.

"Wow!" Lilia exclaimed as Ash drove up into an large, golden automatic gate opening and leading up a small hill.

The biggest "house" Lilia had ever seen in her short life belonged to _her_ mom. The amazing four story mansion was of white color with golden shudders. The door was in matching gold. Workers were outside tending to the lawn and gardens. Some were even washing the three cars that probably belonged to Iris. Now she was starting to like all the little things she was learning about her so called family. Not that she knew much... yet.

"Let's grab your stuff and get inside," Ash slammed the car door shut and opened the back door. He gently picked Lilia out of the car and set her down on the ground. With a easy movement he picked up her small bag and swung it over his shoulder. He offered his hand to Lilia which she gladly grabbed.

Hand in hand they walked up to the large, wooden front door and rang the doorbell. Some housekeeper woman opened the door asking what she could do for him. When Ash demanded for Iris, the housekeeper told him that she was busy. He didn't care, he wasn't going to leave or wait. Not after waking up so early on his day off to travel all the way across three whole regions!

"Her daughter wants to, no, _needs_ to see her," Ash spoke taking a deep breath, gesturing to the little girl beside him.

"She doesn't have a daughter." The woman narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.

"Yes she does, and here's your living proof," he said making his way past the woman while holding Lilia's hand firmly. He didn't mean to lose his temper in front of Lilia, but the woman was seriously pissing him off

"Sir! You are trespassing this property! I'm going to call the police!" The housekeeper followed him down the hall.

"IRIS!" He shouted ignoring the woman trailing behind him.

"Ow, daddy it hurts," Lilia cried trying to loosen up her hand.

Ash's face expression softened as he slightly loosen his grip on her hand. "I'm sorry," he apologized before turning around again.

"It's okay," she looked down at the shining tile.

"IRIS!" He shouted again walking around the hall.

"You can't just walk in a house like this! Leave right away," the housekeeper kept demanding in an angry voice, only for Ash to ignore her again.

* * *

"Ugh, what is it now! Can't parents just understand that teachers have a life outside school too," Iris growled getting up on her feet.

The white haired aging man beside her gave a heartily laugh before gesturing her to walk out of the room. "Oh you'll get used to it. It isn't unusual to get calls in the middle of the night by raging parents who demands to know why their kids got a certain grade," he explained.

Iris rubbed her temples. "It has already happened, and I have barely worked as a gym teacher for about four months! But if you'll excuse me dad I'm going to see what this fuss is about. Geez..."

Iris walked out of the room with a frown, confused by someone screaming her name downstairs. She didn't recognize the voice, but it gave her a little chill anyway.

"IRI—"

"ASH?!" She stepped back at his image as her mouth hung open. "Wh- What are you doing here?"

Ash turned around, his cheeks red tinted by all the screaming he'd been doing. "What the heck?" He shouted, grabbing Lilia's shoulders gently and pushing her in front of him.

"Who's she?" Iris raised her eyebrows curiously.

"Who do you think?" Ash gave her a dumbfounded look and shaking his head lightly. She couldn't be this dense.

"I..I…I don't know?" Iris replied, her voice sounding like as if she were asking a question.

"The child you carried without telling me properly!" Ash spat at her.

"Properly?" Lilia looked back at her dad and then at Iris, her mom.

"Um- what?" Iris' eyes grew wide.

Ash slapped his palm against his forehead, shaking his head from side to side. "Can, ugh... could you tell me what's going on here? I'm at my house on a regular day when a eight year old child shows up at my doorstep claiming I'm her father, hands me her papers and what am I suppose to do? Rip it up and pretend this never happened?" Ash asked in a tired tone.

"What are you talking about?" Iris asked him, her face was totally pale now. Honestly she had no idea what the raven haired man was rambling about.

"Could we talk somewhere private? Without all your people surrounding us?" Ash continued in a calmer voice, gesturing to all the workers who curiously appeared around them, pretending to clean up the hall.

Iris nodded and looked down at Lilia who was now hiding behind Ash, looking really frightened as she hold into him. "We can, but I'm in the middle of something myself.. Just hold on a minute.."

"Can she go somewhere else, too?" He asked looking down to where Iris' eyes were glued at.

"The living room I guess, she could watch TV," she suggested.

"Go to the living room," Ash told the girl in a friendlier tone. "I'll just have a word or two with her, then I'll pick you up right away."

Lilia nodded understandingly, attempting to walk further into the house as the same housekeeper from before appeared in front of her. "I'll show you the living room, my child," she said with a kind smile. "Follow me."

The raven haired girl glanced at Ash once more, which in return flashed her an encouraging smile. Giving a shaky smile back, she turned to follow the housekeeper.

When the two were out of sight, Iris shot Ash a bothered look. "Look Ketchum, I have no idea what this all is about. I'm just going to inform dad about your _unexpected_ arrival and then I'll return right away. Ugh looks like we have to delay our meeting again," she muttered before walking off.

Ash shoved his hands into his pant pockets as a smirk appeared on his face. He surely didn't drive all this way for nothing. Iris had to spill the beans about what this all was about regardless if she liked it or not.

* * *

**Yeah I know Ash is still kind of distant from Lilia, but I don't want to rush things... Their relationship will develop as the fic goes on**


	7. Chapter 7

After a couple of minutes of waiting for Iris to return, Ash and Iris finally sat down in an empty room, filled with decorative Unovian art stuff. The room didn't have much besides the sculptures and pictures, and Ash could tell that no one really spent any time in the room at all, with many of the multiple shelves pretty much empty. White cloths covered some of the couches and tables. The room was starting to give Ash little goose bumps, but somehow it really wasn't the room. It was more of the fact that he was sitting right across Iris, alone for the first time in a very long time. He wasn't used to seeing her, and she wasn't used to seeing him either. They both examined each other a few times just to make sure they weren't dreaming. After all, this seemed pretty sudden for them both.

Iris hadn't changed that much in nine years. She still wore her hair in a high ponytail style, her long purple locks flowing down her back. She looked like she had managed to keep her body in a good physical shape. Her attire had changed, but only slightly. While she preferred to practically live in her sport-tights and baggy T-shirts before (she claimed it was easier to swing from vines and play sports that way), she was currently dressed in a white shirt and a knee long blue pleated skirt.

"Ash, could you explain to me why there's a little girl with you?" Iris broke the silence.

Ash shot her an odd look and sighed. He was already tired of repeating everything. It was already making him mad that he had to go through this when he seriously thought he had no child! If it was obvious to him who that girl was, then why wasn't it obvious to Iris? He couldn't help but think that she was more dense than himself.

"I really don't know! Stop giving me that look! Iris retorted honestly.

"So you really don't know?" He asked puzzled.

"No! She exclaimed, her voice revealing that she was getting frustrated. "So could you just get straight to the point and tell me why you're barging into my house in the middle of the day?"

"So you're telling me you can't take your time to look at her and go 'Gee, she looks a lot like me. Could she be my daughter who I didn't tell my boyfriend properly about back in high school and put in the orphanage.' That never crossed your mind?" Ash asked mocking her voice.

Her eyes widened in utter surprise.

"She's my, I mean, _our_ daughter! Why didn't you tell me anything about her while you could! How do you think I feel about having an eight year old showing up at my doorstep accusing me to be her father? You could have at least told me you were putting her in the orphanage so I didn't have to get a heart attack when she showed up at my house! Maybe that way I wouldn't have been so shocked!" Ash uttered boldly.

The harsh sound of Ash's voice stung Iris' ears a little. Ash could get really pissed sometimes and it was sort of scary. He looked angry just being this close to Iris and having to deal with everything. All he wanted was to live his life. He was simply fine, until Lilia showed up at his place and brought him all the way down to Iris. He couldn't just return her back to the orphanage because he knew well that they would question him about her. And besides, that really didn't feel right for him.

"I- I couldn't do it," Iris said quietly as she fixed her eyes on the floor. The frustrated expression that was evident on her face a while ago was replaced by a saddened one. "I was seventeen at that time. I being an orphan myself, couldn't know anything about raising a child all by myself. W- when you told me you were leaving for that journey across the different regions, I got so scared! I have never felt more alone in my entire life! I knew that journey meant a lot to you and I didn't want to spoil your plans. So I decided it would be best if we broke up so you could continue with what made you happy and I on my own life."

Iris paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "I knew Drayden would've never approved of the child. He would rant about how foolish I had been and that I had no idea of what being a parent implied. I can't believe even abortion even crossed my mind! You're lucky I didn't! And I couldn't—I would be cursing myself for the rest of my life! So I had no other choice but to sign her up for adoption. I had a hope that a good family would raise her righteously as their own. Someone who would made her feel loved... Someone who could be a better role model than I could ever be. But in the orphanage they made me name her and all this stuff first, so I used your last name. I figured I might as well give you credit for something you made," She ended her explanation with a sigh.

Ash managed to relax a little. "So that's... why. But I think you should've told me even if I supposed to go out on that journey! We could figure it out-"

"But it's too late. What happened did happen and there's nothing we can do about it now! We should think about the future now. What should we do about her?"

"About that... I don't know if I'm ready for this yet. It all seem so sudden and... I don't know honestly," Ash ran a hand through his messy raven locks.

Iris shook her head. She wasn't sure how she was going to get to know the little girl she just had meet. She would feel too guilty explaining to Lilia how meeting her daughter ever again—never came into her mind. It would make her feel bad, just now getting to know Lilia after all years she could have spent with her, and after putting her in an orphan house. It made her feel horrible that she tried to forget that she had a child. What she feared most though, was that Lilia would be rejected by both her and Ash.

"This would've never happened if you had enough guts to tell me properly," Ash muttered under his breath.

"I couldn't bring myself to do it!" Iris hissed back.

"I can't believe you thought so lowly of me! I would've never left my pregnant girlfriend! I'm not that much of a jerk! But that's maybe what you think of me!"

"I'm hearing you loud and clear and I'm sure everyone else in this house does too! Can you _not_ keep your voice low? You're going to scare my neighbors!" Iris snapped.

"Neighbors? You live freaking high up on a hill! NO ONE CAN HEAR US!" Ash yelled raising his voice even more.

Iris hurried over to his side and covered his mouth with her hands. Ash was really trying to get on her nerves. She didn't want to hear him yell, though her neighbor's wouldn't hear him, her housekeepers could hear both of them and she knew they would question her about everything that went on. Not to mention Drayden who was patiently waiting for her upstairs. If he found out Lilia was her daughter he would lose it! And even how much she didn't want Ash to be in her house, she didn't want him to get a taste of Drayden's anger. Iris had miraculously managed to assure him that it was a parent that wanted to have a talk with her, so he had let her go without joining them.

"Can you keep your tone low? I don't want my housekeepers to hear our little talk here!" Iris told him softly.

"You shouldn't have housekeepers then if you don't want people hearing your private conversations," Ash rolled his eyes. "We have a problem here, Iris. We both do. We have a daughter that we have to deal with. One of us is going to have to raise her or take her back." Ash said, looking her directly in the eye.

"She can stay with me for a couple of days, I guess. I am curious to find out what she's like… But I don't think I can take care of her. I don't know anything about children! What if I seriously mess up?" Iris stated worriedly.

"Of course you won't mess up! You were pretty much acting like a little kid a couple of years back. That should be enough experience to you," Ash smirked.

"For your information, that's not true!" Iris shot back. "_You_ were the one acting like a little kid!"

"There you see!" He exclaimed. "Or maybe you like the term careless better."

"Excuse me? I'm careless? I wasn't the one throwing my own daughter around like ball! I'm not the one who can't learn to accept my daughter! You're calling me careless?" Iris narrowed her eyes angrily.

"Of course I could accept Lilia as my own too! It's just that I don't want to deal with you anymore. I really thought we were through!"

"And we were!" Iris held her hand out. "Until _you_ showed up at my doorstep!"

"I had to. So what are we going to do now?" He questioned.

"I don't know," Iris shook her head lightly. The movement caused her hair to swing to the side, whipping the familiar scent of her strawberry shampoo in his direction. He couldn't believe she still used that one. Ash glanced at her shortly, eying her slumped figure. She sat like she used to when she felt guilty about something. After all those years, Ash couldn't believe he still could read her.

"By the way, I like her name." Ash admitted with a small smile. "Lilia. I remember I used to call you that sometimes."

"Of course you like her name. Our math teacher simply couldn't pronounce my name properly and for some strange reason found it easier to call me Lilia." Iris shoved his arm playfully. "I don't understand why you found that so funny, actually. It was kind of annoying."

"Oh come on, it was amusing," Ash grinned. "It's a pretty cute name, too." He had to admit it was surprising that she still remembered that old nickname he loved to call her by. Even he couldn't guess what Iris would call their daughter, until Lilia showed him the papers of course.

* * *

**I'm sorry for the late update... I was busy**

**I'm almost done with the next chapter btw, but i decided to split them into two. So until next time!**


End file.
